Introduction
Owely ("we", "our", or "us") is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our mobile application.
Information We Collect
Information You Provide
- Account Information: Email address and display name when you create an account
- Profile Information: Profile photo (optional)
- Expense Data: Expense descriptions, amounts, dates, categories, and receipt images you upload
- Group Information: Group names, descriptions, and member lists
- Budget Information: Budgets, plans, categories, accounts and transactions you add, and the people you share a budget with
Bank Account Information (optional)
If you choose to connect a bank account, we receive, through our service provider Plaid, the names, types and last four digits of the accounts you select, their balances, and their transactions (amounts, dates, merchant names and categories). Owely's access is read-only: it cannot move money. We never see or store your bank username or password; you enter those with Plaid or your bank.
Information Collected Automatically
- Device Information: Device type, operating system, and unique device identifiers
- Usage Data: How you interact with the App, features used, and time spent
- Log Data: IP address, access times, and error logs
How We Use Your Information
We use the information we collect to:
- Provide and maintain the App's functionality
- Process and display your expenses and balances
- Enable group features and member communication
- Provide budgeting features: bringing in transactions from banks you connect, categorizing them, and showing your progress against your plan
- Generate budget suggestions when you ask for them
- Send you authentication codes and important account notifications
- Improve and optimize the App
- Detect and prevent fraud or abuse
- Comply with legal obligations
Information Sharing
We share your information only in the following circumstances:
With Other Users
When you join a group, other group members can see your display name, profile photo, and expense activity within that group.
When you share a budget, the people in it see your display name and the budget. For each account you choose who sees it: Shared (balance and transactions), Balance only, or Private (nothing; if you count it in the budget, its spending appears only inside category totals).
Service Providers
We use third-party services to help operate our App:
| Service | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Amazon Web Services (AWS) | Cloud hosting and data storage |
| Amazon SES | Email delivery for authentication |
| Plaid Inc. | Connecting bank accounts you choose to link, through an account held by our sister company, RentalTide. Plaid's handling of your data is described in the Plaid End User Privacy Policy. |
| Anthropic | Budget suggestions, only when you ask for them. We send your budget's category totals for the month; never your transactions, merchant names, account names, or who you are. Anthropic does not use this data to train its models. |
We do not sell your personal information, and we do not use your bank or budget data for advertising.
Legal Requirements
We may disclose your information if required by law or in response to valid legal requests.
Data Security
We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your data, including:
- Encryption of data in transit (HTTPS/TLS) and at rest
- Bank access credentials from Plaid stored encrypted and never shown to anyone
- Secure authentication with one-time passcodes
- Access controls and authentication for our systems
- Regular security assessments
However, no method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.
Data Retention
We retain your data for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide services. When you delete your account:
- Your profile information is deleted immediately
- Your expense data in groups you created is deleted
- Your participation in other groups is anonymized
- Your budget accounts and transactions are deleted, and every bank connection is revoked with Plaid
- Some data may be retained for legal compliance (up to 7 years)
When you disconnect a bank, its access is revoked with Plaid at once and its credentials are deleted. Transactions already brought in stay in your history until you delete them or your account. Deleted data remains in encrypted backups for up to 35 days before it expires.
Your Rights
You have the right to:
- Access: Request a copy of your personal data
- Correction: Update inaccurate information in your profile
- Deletion: Delete your account and associated data
- Export: Request an export of your expense data
- Withdraw Consent: Opt out of optional data collection
To exercise these rights, contact us at privacy@owelyapp.com.
Children's Privacy
Owely is not intended for children under 13 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe we have collected information from a child, please contact us immediately.
International Data Transfers
Your data may be transferred to and processed in countries other than your own. We ensure appropriate safeguards are in place for such transfers.
Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of significant changes through the App or via email. Your continued use of the App after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.
Contact Us
If you have questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy, please contact us:
- Email: privacy@owelyapp.com
- Website: owelyapp.com